Congratulations! You’ve been offered a job. Your hard work has paid off and you’ve landed the job you’ve been hoping for. Now that you’ve received a job offer, it’s time to negotiate.

Negotiating a good job offer can be tricky, but employers expect it so definitely go for it! Advocate for yourself and what you want. Here are our tips to make the process a little easier for you:

1. You don’t have to answer questions about your salary history

In fact, in some states, questions about salary history are illegal. If someone asks and you don’t feel comfortable answering, it’s fine to give a ballpark range, or simply say that instead of talking about past salary, you’re there to negotiate salary for your new job. Your past salary should not be reflective of what you will be making at that company, and they shouldn’t base your pay on what a different company paid you for your work.

2. Be polite

Of course, it helps to be likeable during the process. It almost goes without saying, but you need to be polite while you’re negotiating salary, not to mention, all the time. You need to focus on the positives, emphasize why you’re excited about the opportunity, and avoid negativity all together.

3. Don’t go for the first offer

Typically employers expect you to want a negotiation of some sort, so typically you can expect a lower initial offer because of the expectation that you’ll counter it. Don’t be afraid to aim high when you counter, because the number they come back with is usually what they can truly offer you.

4. Remind them of the value you’re adding to the company

Make a good case for yourself by reiterating why they decided to choose you out of their applicant pool. They went with you for a reason, so remind them of that. Highlight your strengths and explicitly state what you’ll be adding to the company.

5. Research

Do you homework about what’s a typical salary and benefit package for your position, your company, and your position at that company. This information might not be readily available, but do some digging and you can at least come up with a decent range to keep in mind.

6. Don’t make ultimatums

Be professional. You still want this job, even if they don’t offer you exactly what you want in negotiation. Don’t put up a front that you’ll walk if they don’t give you exactly what you want. Negotiation is exactly that, a give and take of what each party wants—a compromise. If they’re willing to compromise on certain things, you have to be ready to do the same.

7. Consider other bonuses

What other perks might be worth negotiating? If they really can’t negotiate on salary, discuss other things that they might be able to have some flexibility on, including vacation time, opportunities to work from home, benefit packages, flexible hours, etc. Try to go in to the negotiation knowing what you want, but also with an open mind.